Hippies old, young and in disguise will head for the movies tonight in Hampton for a screening of the Grateful Dead concert movie "Sunshine Daydream" at AMC 24.

Zachary Tench, a Newport News resident and full-time student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, shared the following story about the screening.

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GRATEFUL DEAD’S SUNSHINE DAYDREAM BRINGS TOGETHER FANS OF ALL AGES

By Zachary Tench

Hampton, VA: It’s time to bust out the patchouli and tie-dye everybody. The Grateful Dead will soon be coming to a theater near you.

To celebrate the third annual “Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies,” tonight Hampton’s AMC 24 movie theater will be screening "Sunshine Daydream," the band’s famous 1972 concert filmed at the Oregon Country Fair. The legendary show was an attempt by the band to benefit the Springfield Creamery in Springfield, Oregon.

Presented by Fathom Events, the film, which has been circulated in low-quality VHS form for years, has fans both old and new excited at the opportunity to see it in high-definition.

For Chuck Dailey, manager at the Newport News record store American Oldies and Grateful Dead aficionado, the film’s release on the big screen is exciting.

“Sunshine Daydream is a snapshot in time. It captures the band at a really good point in their career,” said Dailey. “I can clearly recall seeing it back in the late 1970’s on VHS tape. I look forward to watching the cleaned up commercial release.”

As someone who saw the Grateful Dead live more than 35 times, Dailey watched the band rise from musical outcasts to a mainstream act. “I’m pretty sure that no one hanging out at 710 Ashbury (the band’s infamous San Francisco home) in the Summer of Love could have anticipated Grateful Dead tie dies being sold at JC Penny’s, “ said Dailey.

Although the Dead’s long, strange trip came to an end with band leader Jerry Garcia’s death on August 9th 1995, both Garcia and the band have maintained a presence in popular culture. To celebrate Garcia’s birthday, August 1st, the Grateful Dead community decided to launch the “Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies”. These meet-ups give fans of all ages the opportunity to get together, swap stories, and see the band in their prime on the big screen.

In Dailey’s eyes, the Grateful Dead’s enduring popularity isn’t a fluke. “Their impact was tremendous,” said Dailey. “The uncompromising musical ethic of the band was unique and commendable, choosing to do it their way rather than bowing and bending to the music industry.”

Perhaps it is these qualities that have helped the Grateful Dead’s music continue to reach fans that never got to see the band themselves. Asa Blackman, a 24 year-old Yorktown resident and Grateful Dead enthusiast, is a prime example of younger fans keeping the music alive.

Despite never getting to experience a Grateful Dead concert, Blackman has seen various projects of former band members including, Furthur, Phil and Friends, and Ratdog.

“What I really like about the Dead is that their music always changes,” said Blackman. “Listening to a show from 1969 compared to a show later in their career is black and white, but you always know it’s the Dead when you hear it.”

For Blackman, the upcoming screening of Sunshine Daydream is something not to be missed. “I’m excited for the movie, I already see it at least twice a year, “ said Blackman. “It’s nice to have a bunch of friends get together to watch a movie that was filmed over 40 years ago and enjoy it in surround sound on a huge screen.”

On Thursday, Sunshine Daydream will allow fans across the country like Dailey and Blackman to keep the long, strange, trip going.

Sunshine Daydream is 2 hours and 10 minutes long and will be playing at AMC Hampton Towne Centre 24 at 7:30, August 1st. Tickets can be purchased at the theatre or online through Fandango.com.